The most thankless job

Being a resident is one of the most thankless jobs I can imagine. People really have no clue how incredibly hard it is. They work 80+ (plus, plus, plus) hours a week being ridiculed all day (even the NURSES! boss them around!) Their positions are funded by Medicare while residents bring in thousands and thousands of dollars to the hospitals each year. However, most resident families qualify for government assistance like medicaid and WIC and carry close to a quarter million dollars in debt. 

Second year (PGY-2) started July 1st and hasn't let up since. Intern year is rough because you know nothing, but the nice part about it is that everyone expects that you know nothing. Junior year is a whole new ball game. Tons of responsibility, yet you still seemingly know nothing. It is also Jeremy's first full blocks on Urology service, which has proved brutal in terms of hours.

{A day in the life}

4:50 alarm

4:55 alarm

5:00 alarm

5:05 (smacked by wife) alarm

5:10 shower/shave/pack lunch

5:30 (kisses sleeping wife) out the door

5:45am-6:30pm

I have no idea what this man does. Usually you can picture what someone does while they are at work, when he was a teacher I pictured him standing in front of a classroom.

I know Jeremy's pager blows up all day long (just like it does at home) and he runs from one side of the hospital to another checking on patients, talking to nurses. He assures me his day is chock full of irrigating catheters, retracting, stitching, rectal exams and lots and lots of penises.

He nods afirmingly while being yelled at by attending physicians and anyone above him. After all, if you're the Junior resident - EVERYTHING is your fault. Even when it isn't.

He eats a protien bar and a glass of milk for breakfast and is lucky if he finds a few moments around 5pm to gobble down his turkey sandwhich/yogurt/pudding cup 

before evening rounds. 

If he's not on call he signs off at 6:30pm but usually has a few consults left to see. 

His goal is ALWAYS to make it home by 8pm to read a story to Owen before bed 

(if he gets home for dinner that's a bonus!)

8:00pm 
walks in the door to a toddler screaming
"Da-dee! Da-dee!"

Washes his hands, takes off his scrubs

cleans Owen up from dinner, plops him in the tub for soap and splashes, get him ready for bed and reads him stories while rocking him.

This is what he looks forward to all day.
Thirty minutes to just be a Dad.

8:30pm 
hands Owen over to me for nursing/bed

He sits on the couch, answers any pages that came in while he was on "Daddy duty", inhales the plate of dinner that was saved for him and works on notes for another 1-3 hours. 

---------------

Jeremy hasn't seen Owen on a weeknight in over four weeks.

He usually reads "baa, baa" and "rawr"

Last night Owen asked for those books repeatedly but when I tried to read them he shut the book

"No. Da-dee."

"Daddy's at work" the same phrase I use all day long when he askes

"No. Da-dee"

so I read my designated books and rock my dissapointed little boy to sleep. 

Last night Jeremy was on call. On call nights one person is covering over 2,500 hospital beds for any urologic issues. He gets home extra late 930-11pm and usually has to run back out in the middle of the night. His pager goes off non-stop and he sleeps (if he sleeps) on the couch so not to wake me.

Jeremy and I knew this was going to be hard, but Owen doesn't understand. He just wants his "Da-dee" which has made second year harder on all of us. 

When we are together we soak up every minute doing things as a family.

We treasure these moments in our life while keeping our eye on the prize. 

When training is over, the reward will be a more accessible Daddy who just happens to be a doctor.